JOINT NATIONAL FACT FINDING TEAM ON
GENDER VIOLENCE IN KANDHAMAL-ORISSA
PRESS STATEMENT
BHUBANESWAR, 26th
February 2013
CONCERN AT RISE IN GENDER VIOLENCE AGAINST JUVENILES IN KANDHAMAL
ADMINISTRATION, POLICE FAR AWAY FROM “ZERO TOLERANCE” OF RAPE; COMPENSATION
STILL NOT PAID TO VICTIMS
NEED FOR FAST TRACK COURTS, HELP LINE AND COUNSELLING
The
Government of Orissa needs to take urgent steps to enforce a“Zero Tolerance
Regime” against rape cases in the State, specially in vulnerable hinterland
districts such as Kandhamal with large populations of marginalized Dalit and
Tribal people.
An
All India Fact finding team on gender violence which toured Kandhamal and
interacted with State and District authorities from 23rd to 26th
February 2013 discovered that despite the national focus after the New Delhi
rape and murder case, Orissa has not yet assimilated the administrative recommendations
of the Justice Verma Committee into the functioning of district police and
units of the Women and Child Welfare Department. There is also a feeling that
since the anti Christian violence in 2007 and 2008 and the very large number of
acquittals in criminal cases, the people seem not to fear the law as much as
they should. The fact finding ream consisted of representatives of CBCI Women’s
Desk, National council of Churches in India, All India Christian Council, EFI,
ADF, and YWCA National Council.
A
grass roots survey involving interviews with victim-survivors and families of
murdered girls shows a shocking state of affairs typified in the rape of a six
year old of K Nuagaon Blockin one case, and 13 to 14 years old girls attacked
in Darringbadi. The situation demands that senior officials be held accountable
for dereliction of duties by the subordinate police.
None
of the rape victims have yet received any of the statutory compensation. It is
absurd that the victim has to make an application pleading for compensation.
The authorities must give such compensation suomotu, as was done in the case of
the Delhi victim.
However,
in the case of the murder of the 13 year old girl in Doddomah-Simanbadi
village, the police have filed a charge-sheet in the court against two men. A
third accused is a juvenile.
Police
have not been able to explain the high number of acts of sexual violence against
young girls. One senior officer dismisses them as “failed love affairs”. The
team expresses disappointment at official statements that they register FIRs
because of the pressure of parents “even where no actual rape had taken place.”
Many parents insist there has been refusal to register complaints, or long
delay at the police station. In some cases, police and village committees have sought
to force the victims into compromising with the assailants instead of dealing
with the crime under law.
According
to data given by District Superintendent of Police J.N.Pankaj, the number of
rapes has come down in 2012 to 21 cases from a high of 32 cases in 2011 and 25
cases in 2010.
However,
NGO groups have saidthey had recorded at least nine cases from 24th October
2012 till 15th February 2013 and there were many other cases they
were probing.
The
absence of a forensic science laboratory in the Kandhamal district, the absence
of women personnel in many police stations, the fact there is no Special
Juvenile Police Unit, and skeletal staff with almost no facilities in the women’s
welfare units in the district aggravates the situation,making women more
vulnerable.
Thefact
finding group was also disturbed at the very large number of women in Kandhamal
who had been deserted by their husbands. In most cases, the women were from
Dalit or Tribal communities, and the men from other castes, specially
“outsiders” including many traders doing business in the small towns.
Another
area of concern was the situation in the government–run hostels in the district
where as many as 10,000 tribal and Dalit girls stay and study inattached
schools. The security of these schools and hostels has not got the attention it
deserves from the authorities, and there have been cases of girls from hostels
being lured and seduced by outsiders.
There
is an urgent need for a gender situation survey in Kandhamal district which
should cover the girls hostels, the issue of abandoned women and the crisis of
human trafficking in Kandhamal girls in particular and Orissa girls in general.
Police admit they haveidentified the vulnerable blocks and villages, but there
is no system in place to check the crime. Step need be taken to ensure change in the mindset of all people,
specially officials.
In
its suggestions, the team has called for urgent steps to sensitise police and
officials at all levels on gender violence issues, apart from launching education
programmesthrough mass media, TV and extension services. Sex education as a subject
in schools, orientation of village committees and gram panchayats need to be
taken up immediately. Local hospitals must carry out medical examinations by
women doctors whenever a victim comes, instead of making the girl and her
parents to go from one place to another.
In
prevention of crime, patrolling has to be intensified where large crowds congregate in the urban areas for fetes and
fairs and people have to return home in the dark, making young girls specially
vulnerable to sexual predators.
Other
measures suggested include steps for counseling and rehabilitation of victims
of gender violence, specially very young children apart from legal services percolating to the
grassroots. The Helpline for women must be activated.
The
fact finding team consisted of Dr John Dayal, Member National Integration
Council and Secretary general, All India Christian Council, Advocate Sr. Helen
Saldanah [CBCI office for Women] Advocate Sr. Mary Scaria, AdvocateLoreignOvung
[ADF_EFI], Sr. Justine, Ms. Lena Chand [YWCA India], SukantNayak and
AshishBhasin [Light Foundation] and MrKasta Dip [India Peace Centre - National
Council of Churches in India]
Copies
of their suggestions are being forwarded to the State and Central governments
and the Commissions for Women and Children.
ANNEXURES
FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS MADE BY THE FACT FINDING TEAM ON GENDER
VIOLENCE IN KANDHAMAL
BASIC FINDINGS:
1. Sexual violence against women in Kandhamal is due to
the breakdown of the law and order situation in the district that gives a feeling
to the culprits that they can get away with the law easily.
2. Gender violence including child molestation, rape and
murder has led to moral breakdown and manifested in incest, adultery and bigamy
with desertion coupled with cruelty.
3. Lack of medical examination facilities for the victims
impede and delay the process of justice.
4. An imposed culture of silence in which victims are not
willing to voice the assault on them is due to threats from the accused and
their families and friends.
5. Lack of fast track courts for women, Mahila Thanas
(Women Police Station) and women police officers discourage the victims of
sexual violence to follow up their cases.
6. Lack of juvenile homes in the district while the
juvenile crimes are on the increase is a violation of the human rights of the
juvenile criminals.
7. Lack of education and awareness about their rights
especially among the dalit and tribal communities lead to their sexual
exploitation by Upper Caste people.
8. Absence of payment of compensation, lack of rehabilitation
facilities and trauma counselling centres for victims of rape continue to
traumatize them
9. Prevalent dowry system and patriarchal mind set of
people make them utterly vulnerable to sexual violence.
10. Lack of gender sensitivity among the police officials
leads to further humiliation, insults of the victims of rape.
11. Negligence and passive role on the part of the police
to accelerate the process of justice by refusing to register the FIRs destroys the
confidence of the victims and their families to speak out against the
atrocities being committed against them
12. After the communal riots of 2008, the minority
communities are being threatened especially targeting their women and children
for sexual exploitation.
13. Forcible inter caste marriages happening for acquisition
of the tribal property and desertion of the women after acquiring their
property seems to be a common phenomenon.
SUGGESTIONS TO THE ADMINISTRATION:
1. Adopt Zero tolerance policy to curb violence against minor
girls and women.
2. Justice Verma Commission Report to be implemented with
immediate effect.
3. Adequate compensation to be given to the victims.
4. Set up Fast Track courts to try the rape victims.
5. Conduct a survey on Gender violence in Kandhamal and
bring out statistics in order to take adequate measures to prevent sexual
assault and rape against minor girls and women.
6. Organize awareness programs regarding the rights of
the victims and their families.
7. Make medical examination of rape victims mandatory.
8. Filing of FIRs to be made compulsory in every police
station and officers who fail to perform their duties should be prosecuted.
9. Establish child care centres/crèche for children of
daily labourers and wage earners.
10. Adequate women police officers to be posted in every
police station and establish Mahila Thana (Women’s Police Station) in order to
protect the integrity and dignity of the victim.
11. Sex education should be given to the children from
Class I onwards.
12. Special focus on abandoned and deserted women and set
up homes for women in distress.
13. Establish self defence schools for girls and women.
14. Establish and maintain help lines for women and
children.
15. Establish trauma counselling centres and rehab centres
in every block for the victims
16. Make provision for rehabilitation and employment
opportunities including vocational training and education to victims of rape
and other forms of gender violence.
17. Juvenile Homes and cells to be set up for
rehabilitation and reformation of the juvenile offenders.
18. Review existing security measures of the girl’s
hostels run by the government and ensure security for the girls. Establish hostels for working women.
19. Implement and utilise Govt. funds for the benefit of
victims of rapes and gender violence.
20. Deploy adequate
police force both male and female during major festivals and ensure frequent
patrolling in sensitive areas and hamlets
21. Provide financial help to run minority women’s and
girls’ hostels.
22. Village
Committees to have 50% of women participants and to ensure that the justice
process is carried out.
23. Activate all Government Commissions with adequate
representation of women.
24. Adequate representations of SC, ST, SCBC communities
in State Legislature and all women’s commissions.
For
further details, please contact Dr John Dayal 09811021072